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. 2020 Apr;24(4):456-461.
doi: 10.1007/s10995-019-02856-8.

"I can be the Judge of What's Serious": A Qualitative Pilot Study of Parents' Responses to Messaging About Side Effects of the HPV Vaccine

Ryan P Theis  1   2 , Brittny A Wells  3 , Stephanie A S Staras  4   5
Affiliations

"I can be the Judge of What's Serious": A Qualitative Pilot Study of Parents' Responses to Messaging About Side Effects of the HPV Vaccine

Ryan P Theis et al. Matern Child Health J. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: Parents' concerns about vaccine safety and side effects likely contribute to low rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents. To facilitate parent-provider discussions about the HPV vaccine, we developed and tested the content of a clinical decision support application for implementation in pediatric clinical settings. This study sought to elicit perspectives of parents and providers on the best way to communicate information on vaccine side effects.

Methods: To understand the acceptability of the application's content, we conducted focus groups with parents (n = 11) and providers (n = 9) at three primary care clinics. Focus groups transcriptions were analyzed using iterations of deductive and inductive coding, with independent coding by two trained reviewers to improve inter-rater reliability.

Results: Surprisingly, when parents reviewed screen shots of HPV vaccine safety and side effect messages, parents took exception to the expression "no evidence of serious side effects". Parents wanted side effects listed explicitly so they could decide for themselves which side effects were "serious". Parents also felt that the HPV vaccine did have serious side effects, and the wording undermined their trust in the vaccine messaging overall. Providers accepted the phrasing of side effects and did not express concerns that parents would object to the messaging.

Conclusions: Further research is needed to confirm parents' concerns with the phrasing "no serious side effects" for the HPV vaccine and to assess the impact on HPV vaccination deferral or delay.

Keywords: Communication; Focus groups; Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Side effects.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1 top
Figure 1 top
Parent Screen Shots including the phrase “no evidence of serious side effects”
Figure 2 top:
Figure 2 top:
Provider Table Showing Parent Safety Hesitations and Discussion Tips
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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